House Plousio
Head of House Richard “The Regal” Plousio. Pledging his wealth and sword to the Queen once the war started is the shiny lord himself: Richard “The Regal” Plousio. Age 51, with dark skin and green eyes, Richard is often called “The Regal” or “the Wealthy” mainly for his fascination with gold. The Plousio are merchants and Richard is no exception, however his love of Gold is on the edge of insane. This greed has led Richard to do some nasty things in the past, famously selling his Fathers corpse for 200 gold coins. Richards so in love with gold, his greed has made many call his younger brother “Silver Piece” do to him being the lesser brother. Always dressing in gold robes with jewels in his every expensive chambers, many are intimidated when meeting Richard, him starving to always make a deal. He struts around trying to make deals even with commoners just to try to get more wealth, even if it’s tiny. This addiction to gold has led Richard to increase taxes, and left bad ties to other houses that Richard might owe. House Plousio is officially in debt under Richard, a shameful mark on the wealthy history behind this house. Richard seems unfazed however by this ugly fact, only trying to increase his wealth and then gamble it away for more. This naturally has always made noblemen question his true alliance to the Queen, however House Burugatza has always placed great trust in the Plousio family. Richard countless times has stated his loyalty to his Queen, whether that be true is anyone’s guess. Richard, despite displays of his favorite golden battle armor, isn’t a fight in any stretch of the imagination. Never actually being in a battle like more of House Plousio, Richard will try his best to avoid mass conflict on his land as much as possible. House Plousio has a minor standing army, many men Richard dedicated to the Queen. Richard would much rather gather funds for the war and spend it on Gold thrones then actually train more troops. Richard might be mad in greed but he isn’t stupid: Richard can usually outsmart many opponents on a gamble. He is gambling with gold he’s already made from the merchants within his ports walls, showing his skill. The debt came when his luck ran out. Some sailor superstition believe Richard gained a cursed coin from a witch, cause him to lose all his bets. Now the the debt as piled up, Richards sons have started to govern more against their fathers wishes. Mainly, they try to keep their father busy and sneak policy to stabilize their community. So far they have been successful, but Richard does have a way of making things worse even if he’s distracted. A keen mind consumed by greed, Richard “The Regal” might bot be Regal forever. 'History' Once a great House of military might, House Plousio slipped far from its glory days. Plousio was built on conquest long ago before the first crusade, gaining a reputation for being honorable fighters. They would build massive battle ships out from Ivory Bay, making money from destroying enemy ships. But the house would make many fortunes from these battles, leading to a small renaissance. Suddenly, art, music and beauty was the main pursuit within a generation. The House gained the color gold and adopted the Humming Bird onto their banner. Bards would roam Ivory Bay singing songs, as artists painted and sailors came in with new resources for the creative arts. This shift allowed a new way for House Plousio to make money as outsiders from the surrounding region poured into trade. Suddenly House Plousio saw themselves as not just Noble Saltborn, but wealthy Kings. Richards obsession with Gold wasn’t new in his family tree. The focus became making Ivory Bay a wealthy merchant hub, and it worked. The culture shifted once more, as creatives started to leave and merchants came in, all in the hopes to make as much money as possible. An economic boom set in, allowing House Plousio to help fund House Burugatza, helping to create a closer relationship. House Plousio doesn’t produce the same goods anymore and they aren’t great with training soldiers, but still to this day, Ivory Bay is bustling with merchant sailors trying to make a quick few gold. With mysterious debt looming over Ivory Bay thanks to Richards antics, the intensity from the merchants has increased. Culture Ivory Bay is fast paced, always changing and cutthroat. Boats dock, letting hundreds of merchants into the streets to try and make their way in gold. A small tax is taken from every merchant on entry that goes to the Valenzi Court Priesthood, the Queen and (of Course) Richard The Regal. Despite all the scoundrels you might find in the Ivory Bay, there is a code that most abide by. A code to always “honor among thieves”, especially for pirate that might be stopping in. It’s this atmosphere of honorable criminal activity that has left crime in that port rather low. However, if a fight was to break out, the pirates who often sell in the bay would be more inclined to break it up than the guards. Ivory Bay is known for Kangaroo courts, having criminals caught, brought to a pirate captain and sentenced to a hardship without House Plousio knowing. Despite the risk of being killed, ripped off or stolen from, still many from all over the realm travel to Ivory Bay just to find rare treasures that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in the world. Pilgrims also visit the “Grand Shell” Rock in the middle village of the Ivory Bay dedicated to the God Martimo. A large turtle shell, folktales say that on a full moon you can hear the sounds of metal crafting coming from within the shell. Most inhabitants lay flowers, give thanks, and celebrate holy days to the Valenzi Court around the shell. However, there are those who have made human blood sacrifices to the God on the shell in the dead of night, an act which House Plousio has decreed a crime. This has not stopped older pirates however, thinking it is the best way to have favor with the old turtle god. Rumors: Rumor has it that there is a dark reason as to why no party has come forth to claim the debts on Richards head. There are those who believe Richard is in possession of a new magic weapon, a long sword made of Gold and Silver, crafted crafted by Martimo himself. This sword is so dangerous that despite him being in debt to clearly dangerous people, Richard has sent a majority of his troops to fight in the war, leaving his defenses weak. Not only that but he seemed oddly confident walking the Ivory Bay to gamble with more then two Guards, leaving most to wonder why he would do such things. To inflame the superstition, older sailors say that the feeling they get from watching him recently walk around with a new sword is “like looking into the eye of a storm”. Perhaps this is true or perhaps Richard “The Regal” has lost more then just part of his wealth, he’s lost his mind. Military/ Units House Plousio has no special units the “The Humming Volunteers”. They have common Guards, Knights and horsemen, but the Volunteers are a grab bag of Mercenaries and pirates with honor bound by the code volunteer to keep the peace. Placing a humming bird on either there jackets or hats to mock the head house, the roam the streets looking anyone out of line by way of there code. While not officially recognized as a fighting force, House Plousio still heavily relies on them, allowing them to roam, totally consequence free.